Paradise, Revisited
by Aloemilk
Summary: Stablished B&B relationship. A weekend to spend in Paradise brings more than pure pleasure when some issues concerning their relationship arise. Smut, angst and fluff all in a three-shot. Now Complete!
1. Pleasures

This is a continuation to "I Choose Paradise". I'm posting it separatedly because "I Choose Paradise" is my fav oneshot so far, even though I posted it in a rush without beta'ing it. Now I see the mistakes I made, but decided to leave it that way to... keep its charm, lol. Anyway, since I'm turning it into a three-shot, I decided to repost it... this time, fully beta'ed by SherlockBones :D Thanks to her, the "little" grammar mistakes I make can be corrected, so now you might not notice english is not my native language!

Get aquainted with the mood of this little story... I'll be posting the next chaps soon :)

ps: I would have never thought of continuing this story if it wasn't for addtcdtobones... thanks, dear, and I hope it doesn't disappoint ;) even if I had to add a plot!

* * *

He opened his eyes to find the room starting to go dark, the smell of tropical flowers and what seemed to be an interesting mixture of pineapples and sexually fulfilled partners filling his nostrils. The weather was still hot, the humidity a reminder of where the resort—or whatever it was called—was in... A place designed to make you forget there was a life you'd have to eventually come back to.

He knew he wouldn't be there if she wasn't as loaded as she was. He'd come to terms with that only when she'd insisted it was a gift, a thank-you present of sorts. She couldn't quite name the reason, but the intention behind it—making him happy—was more than enough for him.

So now here they were, sprawled on the bed, taking a nap after making love. Again.

He looked at her, sleeping on her belly, her face turned away from him. He took in the way her body still gleamed with a bit of sweat, the curve of her back turning into the curve of her buttocks, her toned legs just a bit angled. He was very, very thankful he'd accepted her gift.

With a sigh of satisfaction, he got up from the bed and walked to the little terrace their private—what could he call it? Cottage? Villa?!—had, confident nobody would intrude on their little bit of paradise. He stood out there, naked, fascinated at the pleasures money could buy: he marveled at the wonderfully decorated patio and the swimming pool that occupied most of the space available, so that the terrace formed some kind of a bridge over it. At his right, a couple of wooden chaise lounges. At his left, a jacuzzi.

Yes, their very own little paradise. And oh so many ways to enjoy their time there.

---

She felt him get out of bed, but fought with the idea of fully waking up. She felt so warm, so sedated, that she hoped she could spend the rest of their time there feeling exactly that way, not moving at all. But then she remembered why she felt that way, and corrected herself: She would surely accept any suggestions that would lead to a similar condition of well being. Over and over again.

She smiled at the thought. She'd always had a great sexual appetite, but somehow, this felt different.

She got out of bed and looked at him, standing naked on the terrace, his back to her. She didn't know what made it different. It wasn't only his absolutely sexy body and the way he had perfect control of every muscle—though she very much appreciated the fact—but something else. Something she couldn't quite name, and that connected them while they were together. And when they were apart.

That was the problem. If it was only when they were together, she could blame it on the pheromones. But there were quite a few problems with that theory: she hadn't felt that way when he first met him, and there was no proof that pheromones worked in an increasing manner. Besides, pheromones didn't explain the full range of reactions she had to him. And unless you could become addicted to them, there was no reason for her to miss him when he was not around.

He called that something _love_.

She was starting to understand the concept. And him.

---

He heard her walking towards him, but didn't move. He didn't turn to look at her, either, when she stopped right next to him.

"You know... I feel like Adam in here."

"Would that make me Eve? I'm not sure I like the idea."

"C'mon, Bones," he said finally looking at her, smiling. "What would be so wrong with that?" he put his arms around her, enjoying the way their bodies felt rubbing together and how she put her hands on his chest with a little smile of her own. "You and me, with the Garden of Eden at our complete disposal?"

She decided to ignore the way he seemed to whisper those words and the effect they had on her. "Not so complete, and that'd be the problem. What about having a certain Tree of Knowledge prohibited? I do prefer having access to knowledge."

He rolled his eyes. "Ok, ok. Have your knowledge. Me, I prefer enjoying paradise. The only thing is," he added as he started nibbling on her lips, caressing her back, doing small circles with his fingers, "I would very much prefer enjoying it with my Eve..."

"_Your_ Eve?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes and let go of her, walking towards the swimming pool ladder. "God, Bones. Won't you just play with me if only _once_ without jumping at semantics?"

He started going down the ladder and into the water, letting a sound of relief escape. The cold water was a caress against his weather-heated skin.

She watched him treading water and felt a little pang of guilt. He'd just been playful, and she'd ruined it by her obsession with being independent. She could surely just follow his mood this time?

She dove into the water and swam to him, surfacing just inches away. He froze, paralyzed at the sexiness of her action; how she'd looked all blurred swimming underwater towards him and appearing as a goddess, a nymph with seduction in her eyes.

She surrounded his neck lightly with her hands and closed the distance between them. She felt him taking her by the waist, helping her get as close as they could with the water imposing new physical laws to their movements. She started to move as if to kiss him, but stopped a breath away from touching his lips.

"I'm not sure, but I'd say paradise was a place full of pleasures," she said allowing her talking to cause their lips to barely establish some kind of contact. "You think Adam and Eve spent most of their time having leisurely, exploring, funny, passionate, wild sex? I do," she finally kissed him softly on the lips. "But then... I'm not an expert."

He raised a hand from her waist to her head, taking her closer to him to kiss her properly, unable to take her lips so lightly on his anymore. "We can always make our own version of paradise. I really like your take on how it should have been."

"Do you?" she asked as she surrounded him with her legs.

"God yeah," he said running his hands up and down her slick back, over her butt and legs, allowing his lips to tease hers just as she'd teased his. "Having a place where we could devote ourselves to pleasuring each other... That's definitely something that belongs in my version of Paradise."

He kissed her deeply as he caressed lightly the side of her breasts, enjoying the way she rolled her hips slowly and temptingly over his, the water making them feel light and as if moving in slow motion. He groaned, surprised by the contrast between their heated skin and the cold water surrounding them and flowing in and out from between their bodies with their rubbing together.

She got her upper body a bit away so she could run her hands over his chest, reveling at the sensation of his wet pectorals under her fingers, his nipples small and hard under her thumbs, his shoulders big, muscular and strong. She shivered as she felt his hands grab her breasts and massage them tenderly.

"Mhh, Bones. They float," he smiled against her mouth. "That's quite a sight, you know?"

"I don't. It's you looking at them," she said sincerely, so into their touching and the sensations waking up in her that she wasn't able to notice this was a rhetorical question.

His smile broadened for an instant before it was instantly erased by her tongue on his ear. It was his turn to shiver.

"Jesus Christ, Temperance," he said before taking her face with a hand so he could taste her lips with his tongue.

She immediately deepened the kiss, feeling so turned on she thought she wouldn't be able to stand it.

"Take me, Booth. Right here, right now."

He thought he'd melt or burst or something at her husky voice asking him that while she pressed herself down on him, stimulating him even more; and felt powerless to do anything else than what she was asking him to.

His hands shot to her hips to try his control over them on the water, testing, teasing her as he rubbed himself on her. His breath was ragged and she was moaning softly, her head thrown back and her hair floating like a halo around her as she held onto him. He reached and tasted her neck with open mouthed kisses, still enjoying the new sensations and trying to make everything last.

"Booth, please," she said again, not even thinking how much she sounded like she was begging. If she was, it was because she couldn't stand being incomplete anymore. Somehow, she knew everything would be alright is he was inside her. "I can't—Just—I need you to."

Somewhere in his fogged mind he filed it as the first time she'd ever said she needed anything from him. And fell back into the moment as he gave in to her request.

He held her hips and let himself enter her just a bit, a little afraid the water washing her lubrication away would cause too much friction. She moved her hips trying to have him deeper, and he realized the water itself allowed for a smooth entrance even though the contact was much more intense.

"Please," she whispered again, and he pushed hard as he maneuvered her hips down.

Her hands gripped his shoulder and neck strongly and she whimpered. He groaned at the new sensation, finding the way the water went out of her incredibly erotic.

"Oh, God," he said.

"Yes," she said at the same time, marveling at the sensation herself.

He moved them slowly so they'd be barely in contact again, feeling the water going around him and into her. Then, as he went deep into her again, the water went out.

"Jes's," he said. "Are you ok?"

"Don't stop," was all she could manage.

He kept moving in and out of her in the same way, driving them both crazy.

She let him set the pace, almost overwhelmed with the new sensations the water created. She was floating, feeling weightless, free, and at his mercy. She never thought she'd enjoy losing control the way she was now, but found with him she was willing to simply give herself away. It didn't matter the that friction seemed too much at times, it was that same friction and the way he maneuvered her hips up and down, in circles, faster and slower... the way his arms felt working to keep her afloat while he—just that—what would take her over---- She came with such overpowering strength she let go of him and almost went under the water.

Dazed by the violence of her climax and his body's reaction to it, he got hold of her barely in time to keep her head above water level. The new angle this caused him to be inside her in and the struggle to hold her close to him took him unawares and led him to experience a shattering orgasm himself. Suddenly, the world disappeared, to be replaced by fragments of sensation—her slick skin under his hands, her clutching muscles around him, their ragged breath mixing in their proximity...

"Booth?" she finally asked sometime later, still clinging to him, still joined.

"Yeah?"

"I'd give up knowledge anytime."


	2. Need to be there

With the moonless night all around them, they sat on one of the chaise lounges, perfectly comfortable in their nudity; she between his legs, her back to his chest. Her head rested on his shoulder, his head on hers. His hands exploring her body lazily, her hands on his bent knees, running up and down his upper legs.

"I'm so happy I accepted your invitation, Temperance."

"Me too. I thought you wouldn't, for a while."

"I thought I wouldn't, either. But here we are." A few moments passed by. "The stars look wonderful here."

"There's no city lights or pollution to stop their feeble light from reaching us," she explained, looking up to the darkened skies herself. "There's no way we could see the stars shine this way at home."

"Home?" he wondered.

"Yeah... back in Washington."

"I know," he replied, letting a small sigh scape. "It's just... It feels like we had a home, _our_ home, to get back to. I mean, the way you just said that, you know."

"Booth," she said, getting a bit uncomfortable.

He felt her stiffen a bit between his arms. He just held her tighter.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. But you know I just want to share more with you... share it all with you."

"We already share almost everything, Booth. Why do you think moving in together is necessary?"

"You said it there, Bones. _Almost_ everything. But what can I say, it doesn't seem to be enough for me."

"How can that be, Booth?" she questioned him, still not looking back. "We sleep with each other every night, we have half our things in each other's place. We see each other or speak over the phone every few hours... And you want to move in together?"

"Yes, that's what I want. I want to be with you always. I'm not asking you to marry me—just look how you react," he added when he felt her stiffen further.

"I'm sorry, Booth. But you know what I think about marriage."

"Yeah, I know. And that's why I'm asking to just move in together. I know you don't want to marry, and I'm ok with that. I really am. But tell me: would it really be that terrible to actually be able to say we live together? Is it that bad an idea for you to think of me as a permanent person in your life?"

She jumped at that, leaving him alone on the chaise lounge.

"Don't run away, Temperance. Where are you going?"

She walked to the jacuzzi, turned it on and stepped in.

"I thought this would be a good idea..." She looked up at him and saw him not only disappointed, but also sad. She knew she wasn't being fair to him leaving him alone there, when he'd just been trying to understand. "I'm sorry. That was a cheap lie."

"Yes, it was," he answered, honestly.

She sat so the water would reach her clavicles and the jet directly hit her deltoids, but angled so that she could still look at him.

He was resting his elbows on his knees, his head turned to her. His face was serious, but his eyes betrayed just how hurt he was.

"Booth... I'm really sorry. It's just that I don't seem to feel comfortable with the idea of actually living with someone."

"I like to think I'm not just someone."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it. Our relationship is highly ranked in my hierarchy. And I'm ready to concede you're right on the top of it," she replied, hesitant in choosing each word carefully.

"Your hierarchy," he repeated while he rubbed his face with a hand. "God, why did I have to fall in love with the Queen of the Rational Squints?"

He got up, his body reflecting how tired his emotions were, and entered the jacuzzi so he could be next to her.

"Come here," he said taking her and making her sit on his lap. "Temperance... Wanting to be together? That's what couples do. They have a plan, they share things and they expect a future together... at least when they love each other. And you know I love you, even if you still don't understand what that means. It doesn't matter; I still want all those things with you because I can't see my life without you in it. I know we can't be certain of what will happen to us or between us... but we can have hope and trust each other to at least try and make it work."

Listening to him talking like that made her want to hope and trust him to try. She really wanted to believe they'd be together, that their future held each other in it. But... but.

Seeing the doubt and fear still clouding her eyes and wanting to make her understand someway, somehow, he hugged her tighter and lightly kissed her lips. The contrast between his strong arms and his soft mouth caused a shiver to run up her spine.

"You know how hard it was for us to be brave enough to acknowledge what's between us and make something with it. We started our relationship on faith because there was too much to lose... now here we are, several months into it and with no reason to think it'll come to an end."

Trying to understand and too confused to say anything, she only caressed his face with a hand, looking directly into his eyes. Maybe he'd understand what she couldn't yet verbalize if she put all her might into it.

He did. He saw her vulnerability, her fear of commitment: not because she didn't want to be with someone—with _him_ and share her life, but because she was afraid in believing it was possible.

"Bones... I wish I could show you the future as I see it. I wish you could accept me as a constant in your life. I _am_ a constant, have been for a while. You just haven't realized that things don't have to change," he said, his voice barely audible as he ran his fingers through her hair as it cascaded down her back, arriving at the nape of her neck and bringing her down for another kiss. "All I want is the chance to prove it to you."

"Booth..."

He kissed her yet again, taking his time. "Shh. Think about it—some more. But please give me the chance... and do it soon."

Full of something she wasn't able to name guilt—at not being able to give herself completely to him, to do what she knew would make him happy—she held his face between her hands again and kissed him as if it were the last time she would, pouring herself into it.

Maybe there was a way to show him she really wanted to see the future as he saw it... she simply didn't know how.

He responded to her kiss immediately, spreading his hands on her back and pressing her against him. The intensity of the kiss told him what he needed to know: she felt just like him; she only didn't know it yet.

And that annoyed him to hell.

With a smooth movement, he lifted her from the Jacuzzi and laid her back on the floor of the terrace, her legs still in the water. Standing next to her knees, his upper body rising from the jacuzzi as a triton would from the foam and waves, he looked at her and tried to control the way the impatience was growing in him.

Running a finger over the drops of water on her skin, he concentrated on who was there lying in front of him: the woman he loved, with all her complexities and stubbornness... the fact she wasn't yet able to know she loved him back was part of what made her what she was.

If she wasn't ready he'd just have to wait until she was.

She let him do as he wanted, seeing his eyes go darker by the moment with thoughts she wasn't sure she'd like to know. She felt him open her legs so he could stand between them, changing his touch so he was using not only his fingers now but his hands to explore her. They traveled from her knees up her legs, her waist, her belly, spreading a thin film of water on her skin. The sensation caused by the contrast between the coldness of the air on her and his warm hands reaching her breasts made her close her eyes in wonder, trying to give her full attention to the pleasure rising in her and embrace the hope and trust he told her about—maybe if she let herself be filled by them she'd find the certainty she needed.

Kneading her breasts and teasing her nipples, he saw the reaction it caused on her and felt the arousal grow in him. He knew if he was a lesser man it would be easy to just walk away from her and the difficult emotions that being close to her aroused. But he was no lesser man, and he was going to stay with her for good. He was willing to show her over and over again if necessary... but he would _not_ abandon her.

"Believe me when I say I'm not leaving. Not now, not ever, Bones," he stated, his voice low with frustration and a love so strong he knew that it didn't matter how difficult being with her was, he wouldn't change her for the world.

He bent from the waist so he could lay lightly on top of her and looked deeply into her eyes. "As long as it is in my power, I'll always be close to you, for you, with you."

He held her face strongly with his hands, kissing her deeply as she surrounded him with her legs, trying to have him the closest to her physically as a replacement of the emotional closeness she still couldn't guarantee. Running her hands along his back, she let her fingers take residence in his hair while he nibbled at her jaw, her ear lobes, and neck. She felt the heat irradiating from his body and the sweat start to appear on her as she was no longer in contact with the water and their movements augmented in their intensity, which kept the slickness between them whenever their skins rubbed together.

Suddenly, he stopped. Slowly, letting his hands keep the link between them as they grabbed her neck, her ribs, her waist, her hips, he stood again in tandem to her. As if knowing the way their bodies worked together, how they fit together, he positioned himself in her entrance without the need to look or use his hand.

The look on his face was of such longing for her—she knew—that she found it impossible to not believe him when he said he felt everything he said he did. She knew that he felt everything he described as love for her. And was determined to learn how to allow herself to do the same for him.

As he entered her with a single powerful thrust, she realized it all went down to the fact she didn't want to be the one to give him more pain—she wanted to be the one to give him joy.

With that last thought dissolving in the midst of the emotions their joining brought, she finally forgot herself in the feeling of him filling her. She marveled at their ragged breaths rising to the darkened skies and at the growing strength of his grip on her hips. She reached down and put her hands over his, arching her back as he moved in her.

The way they were when physically connected felt like perfection to him. To feel her velvet walls surrounding him and clutching him as if wanting to keep him in would be flawless... if only he were able to show her how much he loved her. If only she trusted him to love her forever... If only she felt the certainty he felt.

If only she felt the connection he felt when he was in her. If only she felt the overwhelming love.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he gave his full attention to the pure feeling and the way their bodies danced to the same rhythm. He let himself be swallowed by the sensations of their impending orgasms and, as he felt her fall, he allowed himself to follow her.

Spent by the force of their emotions and climaxes, they had to make a conscious effort to move and get into the water again. Holding each other, they let their breathing calm slowly down until they could be there, quiet and still, trying to make their hearts recover the peace they'd lost... both physically and symbolically.

"No matter what it takes to love you... I'll love you anyway"

And, as they held each other tight, still trying to convey their emotions in the proximity of their bodies, she knew that no matter how beautiful a man he was for feeling the way he did, it was also unfair to expect him to be the one to support them that way.

* * *

_Some angst here on your screen, uh? _

_Sorry about the delay... but had a busy and highly demanding weekend. I should finish the last details of the 3d and final chap during the day, so I'll be posting it tomorrow at the most._

_Thanks to SherlockBones for betaing this story!_


	3. Powerful knowledge

Lying in bed that evening, she stared at the ceiling not noticing the sigh she'd let escape—again. She was wide awake, much to her annoyance, and no matter what she tried, sleep would not come.

She was lying next to Booth who, judging by his deep and slow breathing, was fast asleep. Several inches away from her. Not touching her in any way.

She knew she couldn't be held responsible for what she did while sleeping, but she sometimes looked for him in the bed even though she would have never thought of doing such a thing if awake. Some mornings, she woke up with his arm around her. She knew couples were supposed to seek physical contact during sleep, but she didn't see the advantage in doing so. Ok, maybe she couldn't deny the comfort of his warmth on cold nights, but in hot nights like these? There was no reason to look for his touch.

That's why she wondered why she wished they _were_ touching in some way.

Considering it a little experiment, she reached for his hand. She intertwined her fingers with his and let their hands rest there, not moving.

Nothing changed.

Ok, maybe her heartbeat sped up a bit. Mhh... yeah, maybe she felt a little better.

As if sensing her mood, he turned to his side and laid his free hand on her ribcage, right under her left breast. That way, they were almost hugging but not close enough to let the heat suffocate them.

Her heartbeat sped up a bit more. She felt... what would that feeling be called? Touched? Moved?

Leaving the literal meanings aside—which wouldn't make sense to her if she were trying to describe them—she thought maybe _moved_ would work. He'd turned to her in his sleep, looking for a way to be in physical contact with her. If he were awake, she was sure he'd be able to feel her heart beating... but there was no way he'd know that while asleep.

The thought felt comforting, though.

What was happening to her? Since when did she have these... what would he call it... mushy feelings? Since _when_ did she think of the words he would use?

And, though she wanted to cling to the trace of anger that had appeared within her, she couldn't stop the little—up to then silent —voice from whispering into her mind.

_Why is that bad? Be honest. Why does that bother you?_

Could she trust herself to answer those questions, even if she feared the result?

Yes. She could trust herself to do anything. She had to. If not for her and the need to know, she could always count on her strength, because she remembered how she'd felt while making love to Booth next to the jacuzzi a few hours before: she'd wished she was able to believe in them the way he did.

And the only way she could envision doing that was to allow herself to go deep into whatever was inside her.

So, why was that bad?

Simply because it seemed too symbiotic... which was too similar to dependence. _That _was what she didn't feel able to accept. Dependence.

Being dependent would be as close to a catastrophe as she could imagine. Being dependent would mean she was no longer able to live her life without him. It would mean she'd lost her freedom. Being dependent would mean he held the power to hurt her or make her happy as he wished.

_Is that any different from the way you feel now?_

Wow, that she didn't expect.

She was surprised he didn't wake up by the way her heart was beating madly under his hand. This line of thought was pumping too much adrenaline into her blood.

If she were to be honest, really honest with herself, she would have to admit he had that power over her. If he chose to hurt her he would excel... good to know it wasn't in him, to hurt her. Good to trust him to avoid it at any cost. He had proven that to her several times before...

So why was she afraid of it? There was no reason, really.

And if he wasn't going to hurt her—on purpose... which was all you could really ask for—there was no reason to fear sharing her life with him. She knew he wasn't going to betray her or abandon her: he wanted her happiness. She'd believed him. She still did.

In doing so, he wouldn't steal her freedom from her. He'd once told her freedom was when you could leave but you decided to stay anyway. Now she understood; if she chose to be with him, it would be _her_ choice—not his. She'd still have her options open, only she'd rather be with him than not.

Because she couldn't imagine her life without him in it anymore.

How could she, if they'd been together almost everyday for years now?

If she felt the way she did whenever he was near... whenever he wasn't?

The weight that had begun to be lifted from her came back in full force.

_That_ was the biggest problem.

She was afraid of him not being there.

What if they did move in together and shared it all... she'd have no way of preventing the hardest of falls if he were to be gone. If something were to happen to him.

_And how is _that_ any different from the way you feel now?_

Finally, like a feather being blown by the wind, the weight lifted completely. She felt at ease, calm in the knowledge it didn't matter where they were, how they were, there was no way they could change what they were now. An address wouldn't make a difference.

They were in love.

Yes, her rational mind kept asking her what love was. But no matter how she defined it, no matter how people had defined it, she had all of the symptoms. It didn't matter whether it was the effect of hormones on her that made her believe she loved him or the other way around—that love made her hormones change, as Booth had reasoned once when trying to explain his view on science: there were things that couldn't be measured in labs. Love was still a part of the mystery she tried so hard to explain, and would be for a long while... but thinking of love, when thinking of him, felt just right.

She loved him... she could promise him to try.

Powerful in the certainty of her love for him, of this newfound emotion—it seemed they were right when they said love would make you free—she took his hand and lifted it so it would be surrounding her as she turned on her side.

Amazed by the way accepting her love for him felt, she caressed his handsome, symmetrical face with her hand. He didn't move, only breathed a bit deeper.

Tracing his eyebrow with her thumb, she smiled at the challenge.

She kissed his lips softly, as if she were tempting him. Not waiting to see his reaction, she kissed his jaw, the point where his clavicles met, trailing kisses over his chest until she reached a nipple.

Touching it softly with the point of her tongue, she teased it, increasing the stimulation bit by bit. She realized he'd woken up when she heard him hiss and felt his fingers in her hair. He didn't say a word, but his breathing and the small sounds escaping his lips signaled he was being rapidly turned on.

Pushing his shoulder, she made him lay on his back. She continued her way down his body, swirling her tongue on his skin, the grooves in between his muscles and his navel, reveling at his involuntary twitching responses to her explorations. At his glorious erection pulsing with his arousal.

She loved knowing she could make him answer this way to her. She'd always enjoyed sex, though it had been mostly about her own gratification. But now? The way they both found delight in making love to the other was a fundamental part of their connection. That's why she liked to pleasure him so much.

Her eyes opened to look at his reactions, she took him with a hand and closed her lips over the tip. She sucked a bit, just as a preview of all she could do to him. He fisted his hands on the rumpled sheets just as he forced a quick intake of air into his lungs. Knowing that to be a sign of his approval, she lapped around the head and down the shaft, to then blow the wet paths her tongue had left.

She knew it was kind of cruel of her, but she also liked to see him squirm a bit.

Using her lips now to stimulate him, she made her way up him to then take as much as she could in her mouth. Closing her lips around him, she began to move over him; lapping, sucking, using her teeth a bit every once in a while to stimulate him further.

She knew he was enjoying it by the groans and labored breaths she heard from him. And by the way he couldn't stop himself completely from thrusting his hips into her.

When she was satisfied he was close enough to climax to be out of his mind, but not close enough to lose it, she slowed down until with one final sucking motion, she let go of him.

She kissed his hip, enjoying the way his hands came to rest on her head, massaging her skull and playing with her hair. She knew he'd refrained from doing that before in the fear of hurting her with his reactions—it was much better if he fisted his hands on the sheets rather than in her hair—which only served to make her feel giddier with her passion for him, with her love for him. She was sure that even if she'd taken the lead before, it was the first time she'd found real enjoyment in pleasing him...

That's what making love was all about. It was about finding pleasure in your partner's pleasure. It was about being so connected—by your love—that what you did to the other you did to yourself... because the circle was complete. Because you'd engaged.

Now she got to understand another facet of the concept. Now that she'd allowed herself to feel what had been there for a long time, and she'd felt powerful in her new knowledge she could finally say she'd found what she'd been looking for... even if she hadn't known she'd been searching in the first place.

Filled with a sense of omnipotence, some kind of... light shining from her heart, she moved so she'd straddle him and bracing herself with her hands on his chest, she went down for a passionate kiss to which he responded immediately. His hands traveled from her hair to her back and hip, trying to lead her to take him in.

Smiling against his mouth, she resisted just to tease him a bit. Still without exchanging a word, he seemed to understand it was her choice. Smiling back, he placed both hands on her back and sat on the bed so they'd be face to face.

They kissed slowly this time, savoring each other, their hands exploring the other's body as if it were the first time. Then, rising a bit and circling her arms around his shoulders, she looked for the right position to finally welcome him in her.

She took him in, moving her hips in circles, going down slowly until they were perfectly joined. A sigh of utter satisfaction left their lips, which connected again in a searing kiss for the few moments that it took her to start moving. As she increased the speed and her pleasure built steadily, she began to use her inner muscles to squeeze and clutch at him.

Judging by the sounds he was making and the way he was gripping at her, she wasn't the only one enjoying it.

After kissing her shoulders and sucking at her breasts, he laid on the bed again taking her with him. The new position stimulated new spots in her, which augmented her pleasure until she couldn't keep her rhythm anymore. Bracing his feet on the bed, he responded by pumping into her himself.

Definitely, team work was much better for these kinds of situations.

She knew she was going to come soon by the way she was feeling, but she wanted to wait for him. She'd wanted to make this about him this time; but they fit so perfectly together that whatever she did to him took her closer to her own climax. Just thinking of the way he loved her, of the way she loved him back... of their future together and the promise that could be made on faith in each other...

Her orgasm seized her so suddenly that she wasn't able to hold it back. Letting an involuntary moan escape, she let herself fall deeper into it as she felt his movements start to come irregularly, signaling his own peak overtaking him.

She was able to pay attention to her environment again some moments later. Their breathing was still ragged, both sweaty by their love making and clinging to each other as if they'd actually fallen off a cliff.

Smiling into his neck, she breathed in his delicious scent.

Yes, his pheromones still made her dizzy. And she still felt the same way about him.

"Ask me again."

"Uh?" he made the effort to be articulate as he started caressing her back with a hand.

"Ask me again. My answer will be different this time."

That got his attention. Forcing his neck so he could look into her eyes, she saw him come to the realization of what she was talking about.

"It will?"

She kissed him tenderly, trying to convey her new emotions as she took his face between her hands.

"Yes. I finally understood why you see things the way you do. You see our future that way because you love me."

She saw his face fill with hope and the dawn of understanding.

"You mean..."

"Yes," she replied. "I allowed myself to follow a new path of questioning, which led me to a new conclusion. Now I see something I should have seen long ago. Especially considering who's in front of me."

He rolled his eyes, surely because he found the words too squinty. But she didn't mind, because his smile grew anyway. "You love me too, uh?"

"What?" she said indignantly, not having expected him to tease her there and then, much less to take her words from her.

"C'mon, say it," he demanded as he poked her ribs. "Tell me you love me. Tell me you now see our future together in a house of our own, with a garden and an office for you to be comfortable in and where you can write your novels and turn our lives into chapters for Kathy and Andy, and a mini-gym for me where I can watch my games..."

"Stop it," she squirmed trying to get rid of his probing fingers, laughing despite herself. She was ticklish, after all, much to her dismay. "Now, stop it!"

"... with a big kitchen where we can have breakfast in the morning, me with my paper and you with your journal, with enough bedrooms just in case... just in case Parker wants to bring friends over," he finished, finally setting her free and hugging her and finding a cuddling position. She could hear his heart beating fast in his chest as her face rested there. "And where we can share our life, with its highs and lows, gliding through it or fighting for it, I don't care, as long as it is with you."

A few moments passed by, and she was still lost in the images of what was to come for them.

"Tell me, Temperance," he asked again, softly this time.

"I love you, Booth. I can see it too, and I'm willing to try."

He sighed, making her head rise and fall. Then he kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you for giving us this chance, Bones. I assure you, we won't regret it."

"I know," she replied, finding she was moved again... this time because she realized she was the person she wanted to be. Because now that she'd allowed herself to really listen to him, not putting her walls up unnecessarily, allowing his dreams and words to get in touch with her, she knew she wasn't only granting his happiness... but theirs. Because now she'd open the door to a new facet in their relationship... one full of the joy that only accepting love could guarantee.

**FIN**

* * *

_I wonder if anyone knows what Booth was about to say before he amended himself... because it's so difficult to get an idea! lol_

_So, now it's complete. I've always thought this story could (should) be included in "Let your heart Speak", and maybe it will. Once I start writing that one again **slapping myself into motion**. _

_Once again, thanks to SherlockBones!_


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